Fabric

I'm only starting out, so I don't have a huge fabric stash to draw from. When you started out, did you buy fabric quilt by quilt, or did you buy fabrics you liked and then create quilts from what you had? There are so many wonderful things out there, but this can be a really expensive hobby!

Replies to This Discussion

When I first started quilting I would only buy a little fabric at a time for whatever project I was working on. My grandmother was a quilter so I would raid her stash sometimes when I visited her in Kentucky. As the years went by I kept adding a little fabric at a time to my stash.

The Building of The Stash is nearly as fun as the entire quilting process itself, though not nearly as gratifying as holding up that finally finished project! I started out quilting by tearing apart free fabric sample books from a semi local upholstery store! My mantra was (and still is!) if it survives the washer and dryer...into a quilt it goes!! When I progressed into using more "traditional" quilting cottons, I found a whole new craving that I had not previously known existed! I'm now a "collector" of anything and everything that tickles my fancy...whether I have for it an intended purpose or not! You are right, this IS an expensive habit! But is easily justified by the moments of piece-and-quiet and the looks of love and appreciation when "gifting" that perfect quilt to that special someone! It is all worth it!

I've just gotten back into quilting after many years of not sewing. I am buying fabric pretty much quilt by quilt and fill the stash with the left-overs. I always buy a bit extra in case of a cutting error.

When I was first starting out I'd buy prints I loved as well as tone-on-tones. I usually design my own quilts, so my design comes first and then I shop my stash. I have a huge stash now, yet the temptation to buy more is always there! I have made sure to buy a variety of lights and darks as well as large and small scale prints. I probably have more tone-on-tones and solids than anything else because I find them to be useful in every quilt I make.

i only go outside my favs when i use stuff that came to me unexpectedly or when i have a specal order in a specific color. otherwise, i figure i might as well buy and use what i like. more enjoyable that way. ;-]

my thoughts for a long long time. then i see some gorgeous creation in a magazine that uses golds and yellows and greens...all colors i just don't like ...but the way some people are able to use them...ergo...long story short..i have started trying to pick up a few colors that definitely take me outside of my personal comfort zone. i only buy small quantities since i figure i would not use them much or only mixed in with others..

After 3 years of quilting I'm embarrassed by the size of the stash I've amassed. I found a whole new world when I first walked into a quality quilt shop. I discovered I'm very tactile and love feeling the fabric, then when you add all the colors, I go into sensory overload. I started buying for a scrap quilt. Of course, the more variety the better... After several visits to the local store, a friend introduced me to shop hops and a stash was born. Now I'm trying to "shop" from my stash before buying. I only buy fabric on sale - I find my local shops will have 25% of sales 2-3x a year.

Mary, unless your stash overflows out of your sewing room ... no need to be embarrassed. ~~hehe~~ that is what sewing rooms are for. if you can still walk thru and use sewing machine, cuttin area, etc. it all good!!!

When I started out I bought just what I needed,as I also make place mats, I would have leftovers.

In the last year I have accumulated stash. I also buy fabric I like for future projects. It can indeed be very expensive. I also have lots of threads as I have a sewing/embroidery machine. Yet I love looking at fabrics and have built up a list of fabric stores online that I shop or just drool over.